Trump reinstates Presidential Physical Fitness Test. Do you think you could pass?

Mandatory push-ups, pull-ups, running and more will be soon be returning to schools as President Donald Trump has reinstated the Presidential Fitness Test, which requires students to complete a series of physical challenges.

The test was originally introduced by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966. However, in 2012, it was replaced by President Barack Obama who established the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Obama’s program moved away from recognizing athletic performance and instead provided a barometer on students’ health, placing emphasis on “the value of living a physically active and healthy lifestyle.”

Now, Trump is working to expand the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition and re-establish the fitness test, citing “the widespread epidemic of declining health and physical fitness.”

“For far too long, the physical and mental health of the American people has been neglected,” reads the executive order, which was signed July 31. “Rates of obesity, chronic disease, inactivity, and poor nutrition are at crisis levels, particularly among our children. These trends weaken our economy, military readiness, academic performance and national morale.”

“MAKE AMERICA FIT AGAIN!” wrote Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in a post on X.

As he signed the order Thursday, Trump welcomed multiple professional athletes into the White House including former New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker and LIV golfer Bryson DeChambeau.

Could you pass Presidential Fitness Test? Here’s what was included

The test has been adjusted over the decades, according to Harvard Health, but the goal was always to assess cardiovascular fitness, upper-body and core strength, edurance, flexibility and agility.

Per Harvard Health, the original test included:

  • One-mile run: To measure cardiovascular fitness based on speed.
  • Sit-ups or push-ups: How many can you complete in one minute?
  • Sit-and-reach: Measured flexibility in the hamstrings and lower back. The original test used a sit-and-reach ruler box.
  • Shuttle run: Move back and forth as fast as possible between two points to measure balance, agility, and the ability to change speed and direction.
  • Pull-ups: To measure upper-body strength.

In the most recent iteration of the test, according to The New York Times, children who scored in the top 15% nationwide earned a Presidential Physical Fitness Award.

It is not yet clear what will be included in Trump’s Presidential Fitness Test.

Author: Health Watch Minute

Health Watch Minute Provides the latest health information, from around the globe.